Don’t Be That Person!

There’s something going on in the world today. I don’t know if it’s an American thing or if it’s something happening globally. Something that seems to be changing the personalities of everyone around us. It’s changing our own personalities, too. We’re turning into snot-nosed, self-righteous turds. And whether you agree with me or not, make no mistake: There’s a good chance that you’re one of them.

Even though it seems like the issue has ramped up considerably in the last couple of years since the 2016 Election, it isn’t just a political issue. This is not only a Republican or Democratic problem. Nor is it Millennials vs. Boomers. It is very bipartisan and has been affecting everyone ages 12 and up. What is it exactly?

We are always correct.

Different colors of light have different wavelengths. (Illustration credit: NASA.)

No matter how wild or outright batshit our ideals might be, we somehow manage to find facts or well thought-out opinions that can back it up. One example that I like to bring up is the fact that the sky is blue. You might think that there is generally no arguing against that — it’s a scientific fact that, whether you can visually make out the color blue or not, our sky on this planet is typically a light shade of blue. It isn’t red, orange, yellow, green, pink or purple. There are no polka dots or chevrons. And while stars in the night sky might resemble it, there’s no diamonds or glitter. But in reality, if you were to dive into actual scientific fact, there is some argument that states that the sky isn’t actually blue. In fact, what we’re seeing is white sunlight being scattered into a multitude of different colors like a prism. Since blue scatters more than other colors, that’s why the sky just looks blue a majority of the time. This is also explains the changing colors during sunrise and sunset. You can find out more from NASA by clicking here.

While all of this is scientifically accurate, it doesn’t change that most of us see the sky as the color blue. In most everyday occurrences, we don’t care that it’s different colored sunlight wavelengths bouncing around all over the place! Someone very casually commenting on how blue the sky looks outside is not necessarily the time or place to strike up a scientific debate or commentary on how wrong they are. Yet somehow, in today’s age, we all seem to have been conditioned to do exactly that. As if we were all born into a comment section on YouTube, we’re all very aggressive in jumping to point out how egregiously wrong someone is. Actress Chloe Bennet tweeted another perfect example during the “Laurel and Yanny” escapades that very succinctly summed this issue up:

This laurel yanny thing is such a socially relevant metaphor for the radically polarizing political climate that we currently live in, its ether one way or the other and both sides see their view as glaringly correct, furthermore…

Don’t get me twisted. You should never quiet down your knowledge or education on matters that you’re passionate about. Nobody should become Ross Gellar, submitting to your Friends simply because they think you’re annoying. Especially when it comes to protesting against racists and bigots. But there’s also no need to be a know-it-all. You don’t always need to be victorious over everything 100% of the time. We need to find balance somewhere between these two lines drawn in the sand because the world is becoming a dangerous place. One where nobody can come to any agreements on anything, even when it endangers the lives of our children and the future of our planet.

Think before we speak.

It’s such a simple concept. One that our parents have probably tried hammering into our brains since we were young. Think before you speak. You don’t need to immediately jump to disprove everything. Not everything is a teachable moment. Chances are, your perceived opponent is not paying you much attention anyway. And even if they are, you’re probably not going to change their mind in the heat of the moment. We need those of you that know better to conserve your energy for the bigger pictures. Like for campaigns and elections. We need that brilliance in the classrooms and for more scientific discovery. We need that energy to usher in an era where everyone can feel safe again.

Dumping more fuel into an already raging dumpster fire isn’t going to do anyone any good. But knowledge is power, and using it in our own way to advance ourselves, our lives, and our careers is what’s also going to make it seem cool and attractive. And being educated as well as compassionate is what’s going to see us through.

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